Fairy Rock

Chapter 12: The Dark Wolves

Serenity sits in her plaid pajamas on the satin sheets in her unmade bed, attempting to play the saxophone, but her notes fall flat. Darn it! I haven't slept in two days. My ex-boyfriend turned into a creepy monster right in front of my eyes. How did this happen? Is it my fault?

She puts the saxophone mouthpiece in her mouth and blows another tune. Dang, flat again! I can't concentrate. Where is Rock? I haven't heard from him. I feel so bad that Tevin is missing too, and I haven't put much effort into finding him. I've been so selfish.

The troubled musician stands up and gazes in the mirror, trying to pick her uncombed hair that's going in every direction.

She reminisces about her first-ever talent show in front of the students at Fairyville Junior High School. Her hands were trembling as she tried to remember how to play the song "What an Angry World" by the Fairyville jazz great Dennis Winestrong on her alto sax sheet.

She played terribly, and no one clapped. Some of the students stuck their fingers in their ears to plug them. Immediately after her performance, there was complete silence in the auditorium.

A skinny, nerdy kid stood out from his aluminum chair and gave her a standing ovation. The kid was Tevin, and he was the only one who supported her that day. Tevin, please be alive and come back safely. I'm so overwhelmed by all this. Daniel is going to kill me, and I can't let that happen; I have so much that I want to accomplish in my life.

The sweet sounds of the song "What an Angry World" plays on her android phone as it rings. She picks it up. "Hello!"

"Serenity, this is Mitch. Where in the world is Rock? Have you seen him?"

"No, I haven't seen him in two days."

"He better not bail on that fight, or I'll sue. Find him!"

She hangs up the phone, puts her favorite red bath towel over her face, and wails.

Her mom barges into her room nearly, tripping over the heart-shaped wool rug, trying to get to her daughter. "Serenity, what's wrong, sweetheart?"

Serenity clutches her mother's soft, tall body with a stench of cigar smoke on her flannel jacket. "Three men are fighting over me. One has been reported missing, and another has turned into a monster. The last one is walking around town with a fairy in his pocket."

"Serenity, have you been drinking?"

"You know I don't drink."

"Well, who's missing? Who turned into a monster? Who in the world is walking around with a fairy in his pocket?"

"Tevin is missing. Daniel's a monster now."

"I'm going to get my gun and kill him!

"Wait! I don't want you to get hurt."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"Who would believe me?"

"He came around you again, so we're going to go to the police and get a restraining order against him."

Serenity grabs her mom by her shirt, wrinkling it. "Daniel's not human anymore. Who will believe me, Mom?"

"We're going to the car!" 

Richard appears in the thick fog in The World of The Fairies. The moisture is abundant, and he cannot see his own hands. He digs through his open bookbag for the half-pint of cognac he packed.

"Darn, it's empty!" He throws the bottle back on the ground.

He staggers through the fog, desperately searching for his best friend. With his voice slurring, he screams, "Tevin! Can you hear me?!"

A spectacle of bright purple lights appears, and diminutive, flying people in purple armor appear in front of him. He trips and falls backward as the wee men and women fly around him.

"Oh, snap. You all must be fairies."

"Yes, we are, lad," Butch responds.

"Where's Tevin at?" Richard asks.

Baker smirks, and he covers his mouth. "This boy is drunk."

"Come with us, lad and meet our queen," Butch says.

"I know who you all are. I'm not going anywhere with you," Richard replies.

"Butch, we're going to have to sedate him," Baker says.

Richard pulls out his revolver. "You're not going to sedate anyone."

The fairies scatter away.

Butch blows purple pixie dust in Richard's direction and misses as he jumps out of the way of the attack. Richard fires his pistol.

"Everyone okay?" Butch asks.

"Yeah, the rounds missed everyone," Baker states.

Baker pulls and tugs on his beard. "I'm going to capture him."

"Let me do it. You got to kill the dragon," Butch says.

The fairies soar through the mist after him. Richard sprints as fast as he can. His eyes are sore from trying to squint through the gloomy atmosphere. He sees the bright lights from the fairies and shoots his gun in their direction.

The short-winded Richard stops after hearing a waterfall. They're too fast for me to shoot. I'm going to have to jump in the water or hide.

He hides in the log of a dead tree near the creek's ledge and listens to the commotion around him.

Baker pulls down on his beard. "You should've come with us peacefully if you know what's good for you."

"Let me do some of the threatening. You always have the fun," Butch says.

"Quiet," Baker commands.

Thunder and lightning saturate the sky as purple smoke appears around the fairies. Selena emerges from the vapor wearing a vintage, purple Renaissance dress. "I have seen what happened with you all and that young man."

"Don't worry, we will find the lad," Baker says.

"The boy is here for Tevin; we must not let him find him. We need Rock to kill Gilbert III," the elder fairy states.

"I'm going to find the lad, and Baker better not get in my way," Butch says.

Richard remains under the damp, dark log. He tries to hold his breath, protecting himself from the smell of mildew. He quietly inserts more bullets into the revolver's chamber.

"You know that Rock is vital to our fate. Queen Vanessa nor I have the time to find the boy as we must train Tevin and Sparkle. I'm sending the dark wolves after him. They will be enough," Selena orders.

The elder fairy breathes out blue pixie dust into the wisteria weeds. "I summon the dark wolves."

The world quakes as the ground in the black field near them splits open, and a hole corrupted with dark magic dirt emerges. Two bear-sized grizzly wolves creep out of it. Selena pets their thick, black fur.

"Find the intruder," she commands.

The loud howls of the vicious dark animals disperse the bats out of the trees. The evil wolves take off to find Richard.

Richard hears the evil beast coming. I got to get out of here.

He crawls from under the log and dashes toward the cliff. I have no choice. Tevin, I'm doing this for you.

Richard jumps off the cliff into the waterfall.